Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts.

Chapter 64: The Troubles of Hannah Abbott

"Knock on the door four times - ordinary people only knock twice, three times at most."

Sherlock said this when he heard Hannah Abbott ask why he knew she was troubled.

"Holmes, you really live up to your reputation!"

Hannah Abbott exclaimed in surprise.

In fact, she did have troubles.

"Okay, let's get started!"

Sherlock supported his chin with his hands and looked at the little witch with a sharp gaze.

Hannah Abbott nodded, took a deep breath, and began to tell what happened.

"My father worked at the Ministry of Magic, in file management.

A few days ago, when he was sorting a batch of secret documents, he may have been careless and put a document in the wrong place.

As a result, someone in the Ministry of Magic made a big fuss about it and accused him of deliberately leaking secrets.

Now he faces severe disciplinary action, possibly even imprisonment in Azkaban!"

When she said this, Hannah Abbott's eyes became red and her voice trembled.

Sherlock didn't notice this, or if he did, he didn't care.

He opened his notebook and continued to ask:

"Did your father say anything special about this document? Remember, any detail, even the most seemingly insignificant, can be crucial."

"Father said that the document was under a special encryption spell and could only be opened with a specific magical key."

“Where was the document?”

"Locked in a heavily enchanted safe."

"sure?"

"Yes, that's what my father said when he was questioned by the Ministry of Magic, but it just suddenly appeared somewhere else."

When Sherlock heard this, he frowned slightly and tapped his fingers on the table. After a moment, he asked again:
"Did anything unusual happen at the Ministry before the documents were discovered?"

"Something unusual?"

Hannah Abbott didn't quite understand what Sherlock meant.

"For example, has anyone been frequently entering and exiting your father's office, or have any strange magical fluctuations been detected?"

Hannah Abbott closed her eyes, frowned, and tried to remember.

Sherlock didn't interrupt and just looked at her quietly.

Hermione looked at Hannah Abbott and then at Sherlock. The former who was thinking hard and the latter who was confident formed a sharp contrast at this moment.

"correct!"

Hannah Abbott's eyes suddenly lit up, "Father said that a few days before the files were lost, the protective magic circle in his office had inexplicably experienced a brief fluctuation.

But he conducted a thorough examination and found nothing abnormal, so he didn't pay much attention to it."

Sherlock nodded and turned to Hermione, "My friend, if someone were to use magic to bypass the safe's protection and steal the documents, would that cause a magical fluctuation?"

"That's for sure," Hermione answered without hesitation, then realized, "You mean..."

"Wait a minute, I have a few more questions."

Hermione was not annoyed by being interrupted by Sherlock. After all, she was already used to this style.

This guy is just that kind of person!

Sherlock then began to ask Abbott about the layout of the Ministry of Magic's office, where the files were stored, and many other details about his father's daily work process.

Since he was little, Abbott often went to the Ministry of Magic to play with his father. He could basically answer all of Sherlock's questions, but he was not very clear about the details.

but it does not matter.

"Mom found a way for me to bring the Ministry of Magic's investigation report on this matter, as well as this letter, which contains my father's description of the incident."

Ai Bo said as he took out a stack of materials and handed it over.

Sherlock, who was originally frowning, suddenly brightened up.

Aibo's description was only a reference; this report and Aibo's father's testimony were more useful. He examined it carefully and began to draw on his notebook.

Unfortunately, conditions do not allow us to go to the Ministry of Magic to check it out in person.

It seems that I can only learn from Poirot this time.

Fortunately, the report from the Ministry of Magic was quite detailed. Although there were inevitably some unclear points in it, it was enough to infer the truth of the matter.

"I think... the truth has come out."

Sherlock looked up and said as Hermione and Abbott looked at him in surprise.

Isn't this too fast?

"This person is most likely your father's rival in the Ministry of Magic. He has coveted your father's position for a long time and this time he seized the opportunity and planned this conspiracy."

"Who are you talking about, Mr. Holmes?"

Aibo's expression was a little confused.

She was really unable to react when Sherlock said this suddenly.

"Wright Black, Mr. Blacklight."

"It's him?"

Hannah immediately showed a look of surprise, "He and my father don't have any grudges?!"

Sherlock shook his head and explained:
"According to your father's description and the information provided in this report, this document is encrypted using an extremely rare and complex ancient magical encryption technique.

Anyone who can crack it must have in-depth research on ancient magic.

There were not many people who met the requirements, and Mr. Wright Black was one of them.

In addition to the safe's protective magic, it requires breaking at least three different types of magic locks at the same time to open it.

This requires not only superb magical abilities, but also a thorough understanding of the inner workings of the Ministry of Magic's security system.

It's very suspicious that Wright Black is in charge of the security system in the area where your father is.

besides……"

Sherlock picked up the notebook and pointed to the sketch he had drawn and continued:

"According to this investigative report, Mr. Hei Guang went in and out of your father's office more often than usual in the week before the documents went missing, and he stayed for quite a while each time.

Of course, he claimed it was just to discuss work.

But your father said that most of the so-called discussions were irrelevant trivial matters.

This is enough to show that he was probably using these opportunities to find the best time to implement his plan, but your father just didn't notice.

Also, he has always been jealous of your father's talent - although this is just my inference, I think it should be correct.

Because he lost to your father in the most recent promotion selection, this undoubtedly became a strong motive for him to commit the crime."

After listening to Sherlock's analysis, Ai Bo was surprised and happy.

Hermione patted the back of her hand gently, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Sherlock.

"Holmes, you are amazing! What should we do now?"

“Don’t worry, Miss Aibo, we still need to collect evidence to prove your father’s innocence and that man’s guilt.

Although the Ministry of Magic has restricted your father's movements, fortunately your mother is still able to move freely.

So the next step is to ask her and your father's friends at the Ministry of Magic to keep an eye on that person's movements, especially any traces of magic attempting to destroy documents, or any contact with suspicious people.

Also, I suggest you tell Professor Sprout about this matter. I believe she will be able to provide you with considerable assistance.

At the same time, I will use some means here to further search for evidence."

Having said that, he turned his head again.

"Hermione, please look up information on cracking ancient magic and loopholes in the Ministry of Magic's security system. Maybe you can find the key clues to his crime."

Hermione was stunned when she heard this. Cracking the ancient magic was one thing, but what on earth was this loophole in the Ministry of Magic's security system?

Is this kind of thing possible to find?
Hannah Abbott didn't think too much about it, and expressed her gratitude to Sherlock with red eyes.

Sherlock gave the other party a reassuring smile:
"Ms. Aibo, the truth will never be buried. As long as we look for it with our hearts, we will definitely find it."

　Thanks to Movie Star Soul for giving 500 Qidian coins and 03141043wlw for giving 500 Qidian coins. Your support is my motivation to updateヾ(^▽^*)))
　　
　
(End of this chapter)